Link: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2010-03-14-stormy-weather_N.htm?csp=34&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-NewsTopStories+%28News+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
Violent storm kills 6 in Northeast
NEW YORK - Crews worked non-stop Sunday to restore power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a 100-mile radius of here after a violent storm that killed six people and disrupted countless parties, concerts and other events.
At its peak Saturday night, the windy, rainy storm blacked out more than 900,000 electrical customers. Sunday, that number was halved, but Public Service Electric and Gas said it would be midweek before all service was back in northern New Jersey.
Gusts approached 75 mph, prompting Kevin Law, president of the Long Island Power Authority, to call it "a hurricane without the name." The weakest hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
In Rhode Island, James Dougherty, 41, an off-duty state trooper, died in a storm-related crash Sunday.
Five people were killed by falling trees, police said. Among them:
In Teaneck, N.J., two neighbors were hit while walking home from a prayer service. Ovadia Mussaffi, 49, and Lawrence Krause, 54, had just left the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, where Mussaffi was president.
Emergency responders could not get close to them because the tree knocked down power lines.
In Greenwich, Conn., so many branches were blown down that officers and paramedics had to go on foot to a woman who had been struck. Police Chief David Ridberg said the woman, whose name was not released, was killed instantly.
The town's first selectman, Peter Tesei, declared a state of emergency after 60% of Greenwich electrical customers were plunged into darkness.
A state of emergency was declared in Bound Brook, N.J., where about 700 residents were evacuated to shelters as the Raritan River rose and water surged up through storm drains.
A big part of the problem, Mayor Carey Pilato said, was "the equivalent of 2 feet of snow buried underground" - a legacy of the harsh winter, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to the death and destruction across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, the storm upset plans.
In Ridgewood, N.J., the lights went out moments after members of the Ars Musica Chorale had taken their positions at West Side Presbyterian Church for a concert.
The blackout prompted laughs and whoops from the audience - but the concert had to be canceled.
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